Agenda item

Report ED14043

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report that outlined progress being made through the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Pathfinder Programme in trialling and testing Phase 2 of the reforms, and seeking approval for the release of Government funding held in the 2014/15 central contingency.

The SEND Pathfinder was developed in partnership with London Borough of Bexley to test areas within the Children and Families Bill, published on 5^th February 2013, which aimed to take a more holistic approach to special educational needs and disability for children and young people in England.  The Bromley and Bexley SEND Pathfinder had been asked to test the development and application of Education, Health and Care Plans for children and young people with complex needs from birth to 25 years, as well as areas including development of personal budgets, banded funding and preparing for adulthood (transition). 

In December 2012, the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley were notified that further funding of £150k had been granted to take the SEND Pathfinder work forward until September 2014, in line with the timescales for the implementation of the new special educational needs reforms.  During this additional phase of the SEND Pathfinder programme, Education, Health and Care Plans would be scaled up for proposed full implementation for all new children and young people meeting the complex needs threshold in Pathfinder local authorities from 1^st September 2013.  Work would align with the current statutory SEN legislative processes around statements, which would cease to be produced from the 1^st  September 2014 when the Children and Families Act 2014 would be enacted and the Local Offer would come into effect. 

Pathfinder funding of £240,000 had been released to the Local Authority by the Department for Education for Phase 1 (2011/12) and a further £165,000 was released for Phase 2 (2012/13). Conditions of use of the funding included repayment to the Department of Education if the funding provided was not used to deliver statutory responsibilities relating to the Children and Families Act 2014.  It was now requested that the final amount of £381,937 be released from the Council’s central contingency fund.  This was Year 3 funding for the SEND Pathfinder and was likely to be the final year of funding. 

In considering the report, a Member queried if the use of personal budgets was being progressed.  The Head of SEN Services confirmed that work continued on developing personal budgets for education but that clarification was needed from the Department for Education on a number of issues before these could be introduced, such as person management in schools for services purchased through personal budgets.  The final Code of Practice would be published in May 2014, which should provided additional clarity.

Another Member highlighted work being undertaken around transition planning and preparing for adulthood and requested that an update report be provided to the Education PDS Committee in September 2014.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to recommend the Council’s Executive to approve the drawdown of £381,937 of Government funding held in the Council’s central contingency fund for 2014/15.